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Shannons Car Insurance

Get specialist car insurance for classic and vintage vehicles with Shannons

If you drive a modified, classic or unique car or want a home insurance policy designed specially for car enthusiasts, it may be worth considering Shannons Insurance. Shannons is a division of Suncorp focused on covering rare, unique, vintage and modified cars and motorbikes. It endeavours to offer good comprehensive car insurance cover, and protection for automotive memorabilia, spare parts, tools, accessories and other equipment.

Comprehensive car insurance is the highest level of vehicle insurance available, encompassing third party liability coverage as well as extensive damage cover for one’s own vehicle. Shannons comprehensive insurance offers additional features that car enthusiasts can benefit from.

finder.com.au does not currently have access to this car insurance brand. You may wish to compare options available on the car insurance homepage.

Shannons car insurance cover options

Although it also offers third party legal liability only car insurance policies, Shannons' main focus is on comprehensive cover for people who want to pay more for a high level of protection and service.

Its policies are geared towards motoring enthusiasts and owners of special cars, and include benefits tailored for this area.

Shannons comprehensive car insurance

Agreed value: Shannons comprehensive car insurance only uses agreed value, not market value to determine your cover. This is good for modified and classic cars which are often worth more than their market value would suggest,

Choice of repairer: Shannons assumes you have your own preferred mechanic, and that you will prefer to use them whenever possible. If you don’t, however, it has qualified assessors who can manage repairs for you.

Salvage options: If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, Shannons' comprehensive car insurance gives you the option of retaining or purchasing it unrepaired.

Multiple vehicle cover: If you’re a collector or own multiple vehicles, Shannons offers cost-effective options for insuring them all under a single policy.

Additional features are designed to provide peace of mind on the road.

Protected No Claim discount. If you have been on the highest level of no claims discount for the last three years and make an at fault claim, your No Claim discount will not be affected.

Lifetime guarantee on authorised repairs.

New replacement car in the event of a total loss if you were its first owner and it happened within 12 months of registration.

One free windscreen or window glass claim per vehicle per year.

Up to $500 for emergency repairs and another $500 for accommodation if you are more than 100km from home.

14 day car hire following theft, to a maximum of $1,500.

$20 million legal liability for bodily injury or damage to the property of others.

Shannons motorcycle insurance

Shannons also offers comprehensive motorcycle insurance, including:

Agreed value with consideration of modifications and improvements

Your choice of repairer

Up to $3,000 of riding gear cover for the driver and $1,500 for a pillion passenger. This is for things like helmets, jackets, boots and other specific motorcycling equipment, with a limit of $1,000 per item

Lifetime guarantee on approved repairs

Cover for any road-legal motorbike modifications

$20 million legal liability for third party bodily injury or property damage

Shannons motorcycle insurance also offers flexibilities and discounts such as:

Low usage rates. If your bike is not your primary form of transport or you don’t use it regularly, you can get reduced premiums.

Lay up. Motorcycles that are laid up for repair, restoration, modification or other reasons can benefit can get special premiums.

Reduced premiums are available for motorbikes at club events or in repair shops, or with special modifications.

Shannons third party legal liability only insurance

Shannons also offers third party legal liability only cover. This can cover you and anyone who has permission to use your vehicle for up to $20 million of legal liability resulting from:

Death or bodily injury to other people

Loss or damage to someone else's property

This extends to:

Goods falling form your vehicle

Goods falling from a trailer or caravan attached to your insured vehicle

Cover you while unloading or loading your insured vehicle, or attached trailer or caravan

Note that it is not intended to be a substitute for CTP insurance. It will not pay out for accidents that are covered by CTP, or would have been covered by CTP insurance if you had it. It will also not cover your liability for injuries or property damage to yourself, or someone who normally lives with you, and is subject to other specific exclusions, as well as policy general exclusions.

This cover type is included in comprehensive cover, so getting legal liability only might be most useful for people who want liability cover in case of an accident while loading or unloading a vehicle, or for goods.

For example, someone towing a vintage car might have comprehensive cover for the vintage car, but doesn't want to get comprehensive cover for the less valuable car that's doing the towing. They might get comprehensive insurance for the vintage car to cover it against damage, and liability insurance for the less valuable towing car to cover potential liability if the vintage car falls from the trailer or injures someone while being unloaded.

What won't I be covered for?

Shannons car and motorcycle insurance will not pay out if:

Your vehicle is being used in a way other than what’s approved in the policy. For example, you will only be covered while racing or practising motor sports if your policy specifically covers you for those.

Your vehicle was being driven by anyone not listed as a driver in your policy, unless it was stolen.

Your car or motorcycle was driven by anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or who refused to take a drug or alcohol test, unless it was stolen.

Your car or a trailer being towed by it is in any way not within the bounds of the law, such as if it’s overloaded.

Your car or motorbike is at a vehicle race track or directly next to one, unless you are either covered for racing, or you can prove that you were there entirely for a purpose other than driving.

Also, Shannons car insurance specifically does not cover:

Anything that happens outside of Australia

Tyre damage caused by punctures, cuts, bursting or breaking

Compensation for being unable to use a vehicle, or loss of vehicle value following repairs

Any wear and tear, including corrosion, rust and depreciation

Mechanical, structural or electronic breakdown or malfunction

Any additional damage caused by driving a vehicle after an accident, or failing to protect it after accident, theft or recovery

How much does Shannons car insurance cost?

Shannons car insurance is more expensive than most typical comprehensive car insurance policies, but offers some advantages if you are insuring modified, classic or unique vehicles. Many people do still use Shannons to insure their everyday cars though, to get the benefits of comprehensive insurance and the available options.

For the benefits on offer, particularly agreed value and cover of modifications, Shannons car insurance should be considered. However, this is only possible because it selects customers carefully and rejects many. Its preferred customer is a genuine car enthusiast who takes exceptionally good care of their car both in maintenance and on the road. This group is statistically at lower risk of accidents and makes fewer claims, which is why Shannons offers these features.

Steps to save on your Shannons policy

There are a lot of ways to reduce premiums and get discounts with Shannons. Most of these are only available with comprehensive car or motorcycle insurance:

Pay premiums monthly, quarterly or half yearly at no extra cost. You can sign short term policies without a penalty, letting you adapt your cover more easily.

Get multi-policy discounts. If you have a car or motorcycle insurance policy with Shannons you can get 10% off a home and contents policy.

Look at multi-vehicle discounts. Insure two or more vehicles on the same policy for premium discounts. These can be any vehicles, such as a car and a motorcycle, or your everyday vehicle and a classic car.

Take advantage of limited use options. Shannons has several limited use discounts, depending on how frequently you drive the insured vehicle. Standard limited use discounts are for when you drive the car no more than once or twice a week on average. Extreme limited use is a bigger discount for when you drive it no more than twice a month, and club plate use is when your vehicle is only driven in accordance with state regulations for club or logbook registration.

Shannons offers no claim bonuses. Every year you go without making a claim gets you a bigger discount, up to a maximum no claim discount of 65%.

Steps to make a claim

At the scene of the accident contact the police if necessary, and get the full name, address and phone numbers of other people involved if possible.

Contact Shannons ASAP. If you’ve had an accident or your vehicle was stolen, call the insurer as soon as you can, 24 hours a day, on 13 46 46 and provide full details of the incident. After this you will be advised of the next steps. If you receive any notification of legal proceedings following an accident, you must forward this and all other relevant information to Shannons if it relates to your car insurance claim.

Contact the police if you think there was a crime such as theft, attempted theft or vandalism. You will need to provide Shannons the police report number to make a claim, or the name of the officer you spoke to, the police station involved and the date you reported the incident.

Prevent further loss. Do everything within your power and the bounds of safety and common sense to prevent further damage to your vehicle if something happens.

Cooperate with Shannons and assist it with your claim. You will need to pass on any relevant information and must provide certain assistance on request, such as access to the damaged vehicle, permission to tow it and proof of events.

Prove vehicle ownership and value. You will need to prove the vehicle’s value and your ownership of it. This can mean providing things like vehicle registration, sales contracts, photographs, receipts, bank statements and proof of vehicle modifications and accessories.

You may be required to pay one or more excesses in the event of a claim, including basic excess and young driver excess.

If you’ve made a successful claim, Shannons can choose to:

Repair your vehicle

Pay the cost of repairing your vehicle

Replace or pay the agreed value of your vehicle

Some final questions about your Shannons policy you might have

Accessories are options like sound systems and interiors which increase a car’s value but don’t affect safety, performance and handling. Modifications are things like custom suspension or bodywork that do affect safety, performance or handling.

Shannons aims to only insure people it thinks are genuine car enthusiasts. Shannons may have refused you because you did not seem genuinely passionate about cars, or had a poor driving history.

The best way is to be truly passionate about your car. Failing that, you could join a driving club, publicly lavish extensive personal affection on your vehicle or simply have a really nice car.

Shannons also offers an online community for motoring enthusiasts, including events and auctions.

Call 13 46 46 to speak to a Shannons representative.

If you’re dissatisfied with Shannons or disagree with a decision it has made, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), who will review the decision and render their own verdict. Shannons is legally obligated to accept the FOS decision if you do.

Shannons motor insurance has a 21 day cooling-off period during which you can cancel the policy and get a full refund, provided you haven’t made any claims.

This depends on your particular needs. Some people will get good cover at a relatively low price with Shannons, while others may not necessarily get value for money out of it. Generally Shannons is worth considering if you drive a classic, modified or otherwise special car and want to take advantage of some of the car enthusiast benefits on offer. If you’re not that passionate about vehicles and just looking for everyday car insurance, it might not be right for you. Get a quote to find out if it’s right for you.

Riding an old bike that just needs third-party protection? Riding a really old bike that’s your absolute pride and joy? Whatever kind of cover you need, you’ll find it here with RACV Motorcycle Insurance.

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4 Responses

PaulaJuly 11, 2017

Hi, we are moving to Melbourne and want to bring our Mercedes Benz ML250 from the UK – can you provide an estimate on comprehensive insurance costs per year for 2 drivers? Much appreciated, Paula

With the new laws coming into effect in South Australia on July 1 2017 regarding heritage/classic/left hand drive and modified cars (built before Jan 1979)and driving 90 days per year (lower cost in registration), how does that effect my insurance for my classic/modified car?

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